🎬 Rethinking Theatrical

👋 Good morning! Looks like Max is taking a page from the music streaming playbook. The platform is rolling out ‘Max Rewind,’ a Spotify Wrapped-style yearly recap that'll tell you exactly how many hours you spent binge-watching ‘True Detective: Night Country’ (we won't judge). The personalized feature assigns users "characters" based on their viewing habits—though we're curious how many executives will proudly share their "Reality TV Enthusiast" badge on LinkedIn.

Welcome aboard the Dailies. As you sip your morning brew, we’ll get you caught up with the fast-paced world of Hollywood—no need to chase down a newsstand, we’ve got everything you need right here.

🎞 Here’s what’s on the reel today:

• Rethinking Theatrical Releases

• Netflix’s Sports Doc Spree

• Last Looks: 👀 Bite-sized scoops on developing stories/projects

• Video Village: The latest trailers

• Release Radar: What to watch this weekend

• Martini Shot 🍸

But first, it’s Friday, so let’s take a look at what people were watching this week… 👀

TOP STREAMED
📊 What U.S. audiences were watching this week…

CLOSEUP
🍿 Hollywood’s rethinking theatrical releases…

Plot twist: The path to streaming glory runs straight through the multiplex. After years of studios racing to catch up with Netflix by pumping out direct-to-streaming content, Hollywood's learning some surprising lessons about what really works.

Take last month's ‘Red One’—remember that one? When Amazon's $250M holiday action flick with Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans only pulled in about $80M at theaters, headlines screamed "flop." But hold that obituary. Amazon’s not sweating it. In fact, they’re celebrating.

• ‘Red One’ became Prime Video’s most-watched film debut ever, snagging 50M global viewers in its first four days on Prime Video.

• The theatrical marketing campaign? Amazon Studios’ head of film says it was all part of the plan. Even with the movie still showing in 3,000+ North American theaters, the film’s crushing it on streaming.

This isn't just a one-hit wonder. The numbers are telling a bigger story:

• Since August 2022, a whopping 65% of Netflix's top 10 English films came from theaters first.

• Only 3 of Nielsen's top 20 streaming movies in 2023 were straight-to-streaming originals.

• Sony's seen 32 of its theatrical releases hit Netflix's top 10 since 2021.

• Those expensive theatrical marketing campaigns (we're talking $100M+ for summer blockbusters) keep paying off long after the credits roll.

• When ‘A Quiet Place’ hit Paramount+, viewership of the whole franchise jumped 207%. Same story with ‘Mission: Impossible’—old movies got a 181% boost.

Looking ahead… Remember when streaming was supposed to kill theaters? Hollywood's discovering that it's not about either/or anymore. Theatrical releases aren't just about box office numbers—they're launching pads for streaming success.

As Disney's Bob Iger says, "a successful movie today drives more value than ever before"—and he's right. One theatrical release now powers multiple revenue streams: box office earnings, enhanced streaming performance, franchise building, merchandising, and even theme park attractions. Studios are discovering that theatrical releases create something algorithms can't buy: cultural impact.

CLOSEUP
🎾 Netflix is on a sports doc spree…

This week alone, Netflix has announced a handful of new sports docu-series with Rafael Nadal, Mike Tyson, SEC football, and more. But here’s the head-scratcher: most sports docs (except some heavy-hitters like 'Drive to Survive' and 'Beckham') haven't exactly been smash hits…

• The NBA's ‘Starting 5’ didn't chart this fall

• ‘UNTOLD’ series performs inconsistently

• ‘Break Point’ tennis series got canceled after 2 seasons

• ‘Receiver’ couldn't match ‘Quarterback's’ success

So why the sports doc feeding frenzy? 

Netflix is playing a longer game here that's less about immediate views and more about future power plays. The streaming giant is warming up for some major sports rights battles ahead—F1's ESPN deal expires after 2025, UFC rights are up for grabs in 2025, and WWE's Peacock agreement sunsets in 2026.

This documentary surge also aligns perfectly with Netflix's top priority: growing its advertising business. Sports content traditionally commands premium ad rates, and building credibility in the sports space through documentaries could help Netflix justify higher rates for its upcoming WWE Raw broadcasts and potential future sports programming.

The strategy becomes even clearer when you consider their picks: By focusing on global stars like Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, Netflix isn't just creating content—they're building relationships with marquee sports figures and testing how different global markets react. This approach gives them valuable data and industry connections before potentially bigger moves into live sports rights.

Looking ahead… Netflix might be playing coy about live sports rights, but their documentary game plan speaks volumes. The doc spree looks less like Netflix throwing content at the wall and more like a calculated warm-up lap before diving into bigger sports plays—especially as streaming platforms muscle in on cable's sports territory (just peek at that FuboTV lawsuit against Venu Sports).

INTERMISSION: A MESSAGE FROM THE DAILIES
🚨 Last Chance to Pitch Like a Pro

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• How to structure your pitch so it’s clear, compelling, and impossible to ignore.

• Insider tips to highlight what makes your idea unique.

• Proven techniques to confidently sell your story in any room.

• How to navigate common pitfalls and stand out in a crowded industry.

You won’t just sit back and listen—you’ll actively workshop your idea every week, building your pitch step by step. By the end, you’ll walk away with:

• A polished, market-ready pitch.

• A clear understanding of what buyers want.

• The confidence to pitch like a pro.

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LAST LOOKS
Development 🗒️

• Paramount confirms ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’ is in development for Spring 2027. (more)

• Matthew Warchus will direct Amazon’s reimagining of ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,’ with a script by Enda Walsh. (more)

• Milo Ventimiglia joins ‘I Can Only Imagine 2,’ the sequel to the 2018 faith-based hit, from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company. (more)

• Neon reunites with Maika Monroe for ‘Brides,’ a horror thriller directed by Chloe Okuno, set to begin filming in March. (more)

• Vanessa Caswill will direct Universal’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel ‘Reminders of Him.’ (more)

• Glen Powell’s erotic sci-fi thriller ‘Homewreckers’ nears a seven-figure deal at Legendary after a heated auction. (more)

• Apple Studios acquires Elliot Ackerman’s novel ‘Sheepdogs’ for a Playtone series by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. (more)

• Sony Animation and Netflix are developing a ‘Ghostbusters’ animated movie, directed by Kris Pearn. (more)

• Oscar Isaac and Ana de Armas will star in and executive produce ‘Bananas,’ a David O. Russell drama in development at Apple TV+. (more)

• Questlove will direct ‘Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music,’ a three-hour NBC documentary celebrating iconic musical moments from SNL. (more)

• Jonathan Van Tulleken will direct and executive produce Apple TV+ limited series ‘Lucky,’ starring Anya Taylor-Joy. (more)

• The Obamas’ Higher Ground sets up holiday comedy ‘Merry Ex-Mas’ at 20th Century Studios, their first project outside Netflix. (more)

• Rory Culkin and Paris Jackson lead ‘Skinemax,’ a comedy about the 1990s softcore porn industry, directed by Adam Sigal. (more)

Renewed & Canceled ✅ ❌

• ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ is renewed for S4. (more)

• ‘Tell Me Lies’ is renewed for S3 by Hulu. (more)

• ‘Dune: Prophecy’ is renewed for S2 and HBO. (more)

Other News 🚨

• A new coalition of 33 businesses and organizations has formed to lobby for expanded tax incentives and keep film and TV production in California. (more)

RELEASE RADAR
📅 What to watch this weekend?

🎥 THEATRICAL

• Mufasa: The Lion King: Photorealistic animated prequel from ‘Moonlight’ director Barry Jenkins with music by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

• Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Action-comedy sequel with Jim Carrey playing dual roles and Keanu Reeves voicing Shadow the Hedgehog.

• Homestead: Post-apocalyptic drama starring Neal McDonough and Dawn Olivieri, based on the novel Black Autumn, from Angel Studios.

📺 STREAMING

• Fast Friends: (Max) Four-part game show where superfans compete through recreated sets and trivia challenges from the iconic sitcom.

• Beast Games: (Prime Video) Reality competition series from MrBeast, marking his first streaming-exclusive show.

• Laid: (Peacock) Comedy series starring Stephanie Hsu and Zosia Mamet about a woman whose ex-lovers keep dying.

🔮 BOX OFFICE PREVIEW

‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ is expected to lead the weekend with $50-60M, outpacing ‘Mufasa's’ projected $45-55M domestic debut. However, the Disney prequel is targeting a stronger $180M global opening, with ‘Sonic’ holding most international markets until Christmas Day. 

The current family favorites will take a hit—‘Moana 2’ looks to drop around 50% in its fourth frame to $12M as it battles with ‘Wicked's’ fifth weekend for family audiences. Top 10 totals should land between $150-200M for the pre-Christmas period. Both new releases will be counting on strong holiday multipliers, historically 5-6x opening weekend numbers, to reach their full potential through the season.

VIDEO VILLAGE
📺 Latest trailers

MARTINI SHOT
🍸 Latest viral moments